Indian-Centered Fiction & Nonfiction to Enjoy During Holi

By Jamie Huang | March 4 2026 | Adult

Happy Holi! Taking place on March 3rd and 4th this year, Holi is an annual festival that commemorates the triumph of Vishnu, a principal deity of Hinduism, over Hiranyakashipu, a daitya king of the demon race in Hindu mythology. It is a time dedicated to celebrating the victories of good over evil. There is dancing, singing, and an explosion of vibrant, lively colors. This tradition is primarily celebrated by Indians, but many countries partake in it as well. In light of this tradition, we’re providing titles about Indian and Hindu experiences, practices, and history. Find them below! 

9781646221738
These intimate stories of South Indian immigrants and the families they left behind center women’s lives and ask how women both claim and surrender power—a stunning debut collection from an O. Henry Prize winner
$16.95 US
May 16, 2023
Paperback
240 Pages
Catapult
World

9781662602733
"Leaping, chattering, dancing atop this conundrum comes the hero of Celina Baljeet Basra’s debut novel, Happy Singh Soni, his head bursting with ideas, his heart set on gargantuan dreams." —Kathryn Ma, The New York Times Book Review *Publishers Weekly *Bookpage *Booklist
$16.00 US
Nov 12, 2024
Paperback
272 Pages
Astra House
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780593804872
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE • Megha Majumdar’s electrifying new novel, following her acclaimed New York Times bestseller A Burning, is set in a near-future Kolkata, India in which two families seeking to protect their children must battle each other. A piercing and propulsive tour de force. FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK “Wondering if there’s a novel out there that gives Cormac McCarthy’s The Road a run for its money? Here you go.” —Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life
$29.00 US
Oct 14, 2025
Hardcover
224 Pages
Knopf
US, Opn Mkt (no CAN)

9781681377667
A new, haunting rendering of the ancient Indian stories “Tales of the Vetala.”
$17.95 US
Oct 01, 2024
Paperback
184 Pages
NYRB Classics
World

9780593798959
From the award-winning author of Girls Burn Brighter, a couple from India—so different from generations of white colonialists who came before them—move to Montana, only to discover the secrets the land holds in this stunning literary novel.
$30.00 US
Aug 05, 2025
Hardcover
432 Pages
Crown
World

9780593654507
An inspiring guide to achieving happiness through purushartha (pronounced poo-roo-shar-tuh), or the four ultimate goals of human life, by the bestselling authors of Ikigai and The Book of Ichigo Ichie
$26.00 US
Aug 27, 2024
Hardcover
240 Pages
Penguin Life
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780525522355
"Sisters of Mokama is proof that faith and courage does move mountains."—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for StoneThe never-before-told story of six intrepid Kentucky nuns, their journey to build a hospital in the poorest state in India, and the Indian nurses whose lives would never be the same
$28.00 US
Apr 12, 2022
Hardcover
384 Pages
Viking
World

9780525577096
It's the trip of a lifetime--a textile-based tour of colorful Rajasthan, India featuring more than 200 lush photographs depicting everday life in one of the most vibrant regions in the world.
$30.00 US
Mar 03, 2020
Hardcover
288 Pages
Clarkson Potter
World

9781641295734
Connecting India’s tumultuous 19th and 20th centuries to its distant past and its potentially apocalyptic future, this sweeping tale of rebellion, courage, and brutality reinvents fiction for our time.
$19.00 US
May 07, 2024
Paperback
456 Pages
Soho Press
World

9780262544047
How the definition, production, and leveraging of information are shaped by caste, class, and gender, and the implications for development.
$40.00 US
Oct 04, 2022
Paperback
276 Pages
The MIT Press
World